Bournemouth are planning to keep hold of Robbie Brady following their return to the Premier League, as per a report from the Irish Examiner

The Cherries, who managed to secure automatic promotion on the penultimate game of the Championship campaign, triggered a 12-month extension clause in the 30-year-old's contract and are currently in negotiations with the Ireland international. 

Brady featured just six times in the Championship for the south coast club, arriving back in October and accumulating just 191 minutes of second-tier action. 

Of these 6 matches, Brady accumulated just two starts in that time, with the Irishman starting and impressing during their final game of the season, a 1-0 victory over Millwall. 

 

 

Bournemouth appear to be looking to experience to ensure that they can escape the top-tier drop next season, with their stance regarding Brady perhaps partly to do with the impact he has on the changing room. 

The verdict 

Possessing a wand of a left foot, and excellent levels of intelligence and creativity, Brady has proven to be an excellent performer in recent years, whilst he also ticks the relevant experience boxes. 

However, his lack of recent football would suggest that Bournemouth's willingness to keep him around may be more to do with his off-the-field presence. 

The Cherries still possess several members of the squad that were part of their Premier League team but they also have a number of more youthful options this time around. 

Brady could play a big role in helping the likes of Jordan Zemura, Mark Travers and Jaidon Anthony transition into top-tier players.